Replacing a manually controlled valve with an electronically controlled automatic valve requires installing an expensive valve in an existing water, gas or fluid supply conduit, and providing a power source, for example pneumatic or electric power. In most cases, this requires a plumber or other skilled tradesman to execute the installation. The cost of installation may exceed the cost of the motorized valve. A method to easily and inexpensively convert a manually controlled valve into an automatic valve would provide a valuable solution to many applications.
In response to this need, a device that can be added inexpensively and easily to shut off the water supply to a property or to an appliance located at the property and can be controlled to shut off the water under a variety of conditions was developed and is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,701,951 B1 to Drinkwater.
There are various other designs and implementations for automatically controlling various manual shut-off valves, varying in cost and complexity. However, what is needed is a valve actuator system that is more easily adapted to existing manual valves without interrupting plumbing connections, configurable to effectively conduct or cause a valve control action such as a shut-down or shut-off action upon the occurrence of a specific event or condition, allow for an easy disconnect in the event that manual operation is required and be capable of running on battery power for very long periods of time without attention.